The WNBA is in its superteam era

February 3, 2023
The free agents of the WNBA woke up and chose glorious chaos on Wednesday, ringing in free agency with two new superteams and a whole lot of drama.
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The WNBA is in its superteam eraThe WNBA is in its superteam era
SOURCE: MELISSA TAMEZ/GETTY IMAGES

The GIST: The real housewives free agents of the WNBA woke up and chose glorious chaos on Wednesday, ringing in free agency with two new superteams and a whole lot of drama.

The latest: After weeks of speculation, emoji queen Breanna Stewart revealed that she’s joining the NY Liberty, suiting up alongside fellow league MVP Jonquel Jones, who signed last month.

  • But wait, there’s more. Yesterday, Chicago Sky veteran Courtney Vandersloot said, “it’s me, hi, I’m the primary source,” announcing that she’s also Big Apple–bound. The Libs now boast a starting five that likely includes Stewie, Jones, Sloot and 2020 No. 1 draft pick Sabrina Ionescu. Jaw = dropped.

The on-court impact: Good luck to everyone else, but especially the Sky. Four major Chicago stars have left in the last week: Parker, Vandersloot, Azurá Stevens for the LA Sparks and Allie Quigley, who is taking this season off but not retiring.

  • As for the other nine teams, some, like the Phoenix Mercury, are building around their already-established stars. But the Mercury are in for a challenge after Kia Nurse announced yesterday that she won’t be returning to the organization. The intrigue.

Zooming out: There’ll be debate over how this superteam era might impact the league, but one thing’s for sure — it’s already driving hype across the W and beyond. And with promises of expansion on the horizon, there’s no time like the present to actually meet a deadline.